Book Buzz

Jessica Cutting, a member of the Wood Library staff, recommends The Things They Carried, an earlier work of fiction by Tim O'Brien. Jessica says: "This compilation of stories reflects O'Brien's experiences in the Vietnam War. Throughout the book, O'Brien conveys a sense of what it was actually like for the soldiers during the war. They experienced pain and suffering of the acutest kind: friends dying, having to kill other men, trying to say alive under the worst conditions, and even fight with themselves to find a reason to stay alive. It is easy to forget this is historical fiction."

National Book Award winner Tim O'Brien chose to share his war experience as fiction because he felt it was more emotionally powerful. Vietnam and the 1960s are frequent themes in O'Briens other books. Get details on The Things They Carried in the OWWL catalog or place a hold.